The Healing Touch of Pet Therapy

As Seen in NW Retirement Magazine!

Truth is our emotional and physical well-being is closely linked. Does it not make sense that people who are ill or disabled would recover faster or be more at ease if they had something to look forward to, to laugh about or to cuddle with? It is a well known fact that the patient’s emotional state often takes a back seat to standard medical procedures.

As a pet owner, you know that animals can have a positive effect on the physical and psychological well being of individuals of all ages.

Having a pet brings out feelings of comfort, love and excitement. Your pet is there to comfort you when you are sad and greet you when you come home. Nobody else can show you the level of unconditional love and loyalty like a pet can. So it is not surprising to know that having a pet can offer great health benefits.

Imagine how you would feel if you and your pet are forced apart? The feelings of sadness, frustration and concerns are the result of when an individual is required to move into a nursing or care home where they will be separated from their pet. They may experience distress knowing that the pet is no longer a part of their lives. Wouldn’t that be devastating to you? This is why Pet Therapy is so important to their well being.

Nursing and care homes can quickly become a very lonely and boring place to be Residents become withdrawn and can even suffer from depression. The introduction of pet therapy means that these people have something to look forward to. Knowing that today is “pet therapy day” brings joy to these people.

“A little boy was lying in his hospital bed, staring at the ceiling. He shuffled over and the dog jumped up on the bed next to the boy and snuggled against him. Tears started streaming from the child’s eyes as he reached out to pet the dog. All he needed in that moment was a hug.”

Interacting with therapy pets brings on a significant improvement to the resident’s health. Their quality of life improves, as does their sense of well-being.

Improvements shown may include:

* Lower Blood Pressure
* Reduced Cholesterol
* Reduced Stress
* Reduced Anxiety
* Improved Self-esteem
* Improved Quality of Life
* A Better Sense of Well-being
* Improved Dexterity
* A Sense of Belonging and Connection

In fact, research has shown that patients who owned a pet were most likely to be alive a year after a heart attack than those without pets.

Also, it was determined that only 6 percent of heart patients who owned pets died within a year compared with 28 percent of people who did not.

Would seeing changes and results like these not make your heart swell with love and amazement? By bringing pet therapy into your facility, you can create these changes.

Specially trained Therapy Pets can either take up residence in nursing and care homes, or they are taken to visit to a facility. The patients and residents are encouraged to stroke, play, and cuddle the animal. Interactions such as these often result in the improved physical health and mental well-being of the patient – and the animals enjoy it too!

During a pet therapy session residents might be asked to do such activities as brushing the animal’s fur, or giving the dog a command. Such tasks allow the residents to exercise their physical, emotional, cognitive and social abilities. But most of all, a pet therapy session gives the residents someone warm and fuzzy to cuddle – a loving recipient of their affection.

A well organized pet therapy program benefits everyone. It gives volunteers the opportunity to provide a well-appreciated service to the community, the animals enjoy getting out into the community, and of course the patients benefit both psychologically and physiologically. They feel loved and special for that is what comes naturally to the animals. They have an intuitive nature and it reflects upon everyone around them. Animals make people smile and feel better…period.

Although dogs are the most popularly used pets in these programs, other animals may also be used. Pet owners or any pet program may include cats, guinea pigs, birds and rabbits.

So why not give it a try? Become a volunteer or suggest such a program in your facility. The results will be amazing!

For more articles on Senior and Care Homes please visit my webpage at www.NicoleGruendl.com or for more information on how I can support you and your facility http://CareHomeCoaching.NicoleGruendl.com

God Bless all of our furry friends;

Nicole Gruendl
Expert in creating a harmonious and peaceful workplace

10 Tips in Creating a Strong Team

Having a strong team and work foundation in today’s society is imperative for success in any business. Conflict of any sort creates chaos which leads to dysfunction and breakdown. What is worse than communication breakdown within a team that is working with patients and seniors? Get the picture?

Here are so ideas on how you, as the Team Leader, Administrator or Manager can create that calm and easy going work environment that benefits not just you but your staff and all that you come in contact with.

1. Be a role model.  Remember; you are in a position of authority and your staff looks to your for guidance and direction. They will often reflect what you are doing so always to treat them how you would like to be treated.

2.  Maintain open communication.  Open communication is key. Asking questions, talking to your staff and genuinely be concerned about how they are doing. Listen to what they have to say and make them feel and know that you care. Hear their concerns; ask their opinions about how they see things working and let them have input.  

3. Share information.  Having weekly meetings is imperative in having a smooth running facility. Keep your employees well informed, not only of your expectations, but what is going on in your environment.  Let them know what the expectations of the entire organization are, not just your own.
 
4. Don’t be a micro-manager.  Instill trust in your employees. You hired them because you believe they could handle the position that they applied for. By giving them space they will feel the trust and handle the pressure and do a better job. Now they know that you are not hovering around every corner.
 
5. Give positive feedback.  We know how easy it is to criticize a person’s actions. How much more productive would it be to focus on what is going well and not just the pitfalls of the every day activities? Would this create more positive feelings and fewer frustrations? Remember to always remember to let your employees know how much their efforts are appreciated

6. Encourage personal development. Create projects at work for team and personal development. This enhances the team building and they get to create and set goals not as individuals but as a group that will grow together.
 
7. Offer professional development opportunities. Providing continuing education, seminars and workshop opportunities expands their knowledge and personal skills. Have them work as a team in discovering new ways to improve and explore in their work environment.
 
8. Be a team player.  Create a cooperative environment where everyone’s suggestions are welcome and heard. Reflect upon these ideas at the staff meetings and mention them for projects and creative aspects where they work.  Remember that there is potential for growth and change in every idea that is revealed.
 
9. Consider mediation. If there are issues and concerns in the work force, offer your employees the chance for a professional to mediate their dispute.  Their productivity will rise and the conflict will cease to exist. 

10. Keep smiling! Being a supervisor brings with it much stress and responsibility. But it can also be a source of joy and satisfaction.  Communicate to your workers that you enjoy your job and they will more likely do the same for you.   Reflect upon others what you want to be reflected upon you!

Remember, a Happy Staff creates a Happy Work environment!

For more information about Care Home Coaching and my services please visit

Nicole Gruendl
Life and Success Coach
CareHomeCoaching.NicoleGruendl.com

Coaching and Care Home Conflicts

In any environment where there are people interacting with one another, there will be conflict. We are naturally programmed to go into self defense mode when we feel threatened, whether it be emotional or physical. Seniors or individuals who are used to living independently are no exceptions to that rule.

They are placed in an environment where the choices were not always their own. They have lost the option of when they wake up, eat, or even go to sleep. They have lots all sense of independence and responsibility. Accidents happen, health issues arise, and the fact that they just cannot take care of themselves any longer. This is when the decisions are made for them and now they find themselves in such facilities as your own. This is when disgruntled patients come into play.

Caregivers, some more trained than others, are now faced with such patients. There will be conflicts of interest between the staff and the patients as well as between the co-workers. Many times, the administrators and managers will support their staff and will attempt to sort things out but sometimes there is just too much tension and tempers flare just a little too easy. At other times, however, outside help may be necessary to resolve the conflict within the staff so that they, in turn can ease the tension with the patients. This is where one calls in a mediator and coach.

You may ask why you need to call in a mediator coach if you can handle the situations yourself. Mediation coaching requires someone who is qualified in this field and has the tools to address the problems in a professional manner. Being familiar and having the experience with care home facilities is a major asset for it’s supports in understanding the pressure and chaos that can arise from such an environment. The largest request that we have as coaches etc is that everyone must be a willing candidate for change. More often than not members tend to play the blame game and feel that they should not be involved in such meetings. It’s not their fault, they have no issues, you get the idea. The fact of the matter is this, many of the staff members then to bring their work home with them and vice versa.

If there is conflict at home, it reflects in their work and with their peers. A grudge with a family member can easily be taken out on a patient of another employee. This may not be intentional, but it happens. Unfortunately, it happens more often than not. The conflicts that arise between the employee’s themselves is also a big factor and this cannot go unnoticed or unattended.

The main object to all of this is to clear the resentment, the anger, the fear and all the emotions, no matter where they stem from, and create a wonderful and more loving working environment for all. This ability to push through the objectivity from the staff and create open communication comes with time and experience which is a very useful technique to manage conflict in long-term care settings. This may be something that the administrators and staff managers may not have enough of.
It would also mean that you would have to be completely neutral which makes things a little trying for this conflict has been presented to you previously. You have already been jaded.
Damage control is a serious issue and working with the members to subdue the damage is not a feat that is easily handled. Sometimes it comes from a situation derived from personal issues but can also come from a simple confrontation between two employees.

One final note; every position held in a care facility is a very responsible one indeed. The patients will not always be cooperative or easy to handle but it is the staff’s responsibility to make it as easy as possible for them and for their peers to resolve any issue that may arise.

If the staff is there for the patients, who is there for the staff? You as an administrator or director can only do so much and handle so many conflicts before this too will take a toll on you. Call in some help and you’ll be happy you did!

For more information about Care Home Coaching and my services please visit:
Nicole Gruendl
Life and Success Coach
CareHomeCoaching.NicoleGruendl.com

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